Oasis

It was a choice, he could see that, but he didn’t want to make it. No matter which side he chose, there would be blood, and death and carnage. He just wanted to live a peaceful life, tend to his farm, maybe go fishing from time to time. He wanted to explore, rebuild, but this world had other plans for him.

               He sighed as his cleaned his riffle and oiled it, loaded it the bullets and set it against the wall with the others. His arsenal was growing and soon he knew there would be a final show down.

               His arm ached and he massaged it for a moment, deciding on a break. The light had changed, and he realized that he had been at this for hours. Soon it would be dark, and they liked the dark.

               If he went to the villagers and offered his services, they all might survive, but his farm, his land would be destroyed. If he stayed, there was a possibility that he might be able to defend it on his own, but if he failed, he would die. It was quite simple, when one whittled it down. Stay and gamble, go and gamble, the steaks were different, the outcomes equally likely to go sour.

               Here he might be alone, but at least there was no one to shoot him in the back. The horde at least was predictable, humans less so. People got greedy, desperate, it wasn’t their fault, its just the way they were.

               Before night fell completely over the yard, he set up the sprinkler for the morning, assuming the attack didn’t happen at night it would be ready to deliver water to his meager crops just before sunrise. It was a nightly ritual and as he went through the motions, it pained him to think that there was a possibility that he would leave this place, perhaps forever. If it became overrun, he would need to say goodbye in a hurry.

               He checked his ruck sack and made a mental list of his inventory; he could use some more food he decided and set out some traps as well. There was not a lot of game these days but from time to time the gods were kind. On his little fire in the center of his room, he cooked all his raw food, made bandages and distilled water. Some where deep inside he had already made his decision. He wondered, hopefully, if his lack of presence might even preserve the place, for with out the lure of fresh meat, what appeal would there be here? Among the crops and apple trees, the berry patch, and the little fishing pond. Maybe just by leaving he could keep his happy place safe.

               It was a nice dream, he thought, but didn’t really buy into it. The horde moved mindlessly, destroyed everything, like locusts, like plague. He wondered if there were enough bullets on the planet to wipe them all out. He doubted it though and went back to his task.

               Once all was ready, he allowed himself to rest. Sleep, especially near a fire always rebuilt his strength, gave him more stamina. He had gotten used to this luxury; it was easy to forget all the cold nights spent out in the uncertain world of no walls and heavily falling rain. Before he had found this place he was always on the move, food, supplies, water all hard to find, harder to hold onto. When he had stumbled onto this place, began to rebuild, to upgrade, he though he had found heaven, but now it was all coming to an end. His oasis, his home away from home. There had been warnings issued and he was passed the point of ignoring them.

               The light began to change again, and he stood in his little house for the last time. He gathered up his belongings and loaded his weapons in positions of easy reach. He would be going to the village after all. If he was to die anyway, he would die doing what he knew was right. His kind might be responsible for the world as it was, but those villagers were innocent. He decided that he might as well go down defending them, whether they deserved it or not.

               He checked his traps, no game had made it into his snag and he collected the trap. The rabbits were going to eat all his vegetables he knew but it couldn’t be helped. He sighed and took one last look around, before he walked out of the yard and closed the tiny white gate in the fence.

               As he walked through the lush forest, he marveled at how green and beautiful the leaves had become. After the initial shock of the big change, the trees and plants had begun taking back the earth with a vengeance and he wondered, not for the first time, how much damage his own species had wrought on the world before it rebelled and sent their own dead back after them.

               He came across campsites, old broken swing sets and half destroyed play structures. Rusted out barbecue grills and wooden husks that must have once been picnic tables. He could feel his energy running low and he took a break.

               A branch broke somewhere behind him and he jerked in that direction. His gun ready, he cocked his head and tried to make out the figure in the bushes. A shot rang out in his direction and he shot back.

               “Hello?” he said,” we don’t have to kill each other you know, I’m friendly. Got food and water. Ammo too. Why don’t you come talk to me before you try and shoot me?” 

               Another shot rang out towards his direction and he sighed, why couldn’t anyone else understand that they could just work together instead of doing nature's job for her.

               “I’m going to kill you and take all that anyway. Why bother talking?” another shot rang out and he ducked to the left, the bullet missed by a hair.

               He fired back and listened for a muffled cry, but none came. He wondered if maybe he had scared the guy off but suddenly, he heard the click right behind his right ear.

               “You don’t even know what game you're playing,” said his assailant, before pulling the trigger.

               “You are dead” ran across the screen, white letters on a black background. It would be at least a half hour until he could log onto the server again. He threw down his controller in frustration and got up for a drink.

               “They got you again huh?” she asked, peeking at him from behind her cell phone. She knew he only got frustrated when he was killed by other players and not by zombies or wolves. He dreamed of a game where he could work with people, or at the very least be left alone, instead he was always coming across other players determined to kill anything that moved.

               “Ya, before I even got to the village.” He replied, a little forlornly. She smiled at him, deciding not to remind him that the last time he had tried to defend the village, someone had shot him in the back.

               “You could just play another game.” She reminded him, but they both knew that he wouldn’t. Despite the violence, cruelty, and disappointment, it was where he went to find solace, that place that was worse, which somehow made it better. Unlike the real world, they both knew, here all the danger was only digital.